Sons of Fallen Officer Lead Manchester United as Mascots

On Sunday, during a Premier League match against Ipswich at Old Trafford, the Manchester United team was led by the sons of PC Matthew Blades, a police officer who died in a crash on Teesside. Blades, a devoted Manchester United supporter, was honored in the match programme, with his widow and children attending the game.

He and his colleague, PC Tom Clough, lost their lives in a head-on collision on 22 August when their police car was struck by a vehicle traveling the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough. The tragedy also claimed the lives of five individuals in the other vehicle.

Manchester United expressed their sorrow over the officers' deaths, describing Blades as a dedicated family man and police officer. Tributes included a minute's applause at a Middlesbrough Championship match and black armbands worn by match officials at Leeds United's fixture against Brentford, as referee Tony Harrington was a friend of Blades.

Following the incident, 17 arrests were made in connection with the crash investigation.